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© Press TVSouth Koreans protest against US troops stationed in the country.
South Korean prosecutors say an American soldier has been charged with raping a South Korean teenager at her residence in the capital Seoul.

Pvt. Kevin Robinson was accused of raping the 18-year-old girl in her rented room in Mapo in the early hours of the morning on September 17, Yonhap news agency reported.

The 21-year-old private allegedly broke into the girl's room while she was sleeping and sexually assaulted her before leaving with her laptop computer.

US 8th Army spokesman Col. Andrew Mutter said the suspect was transferred to the custody of South Korean authorities.

The soldier has reportedly denied the charges, but prosecutors said they have secured DNA evidence of the rape.

Last month, another soldier was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for brutally raping a 17-year-old South Korean girl.

About 28,000 US troops are stationed in South Korea. Crimes committed by US troops based in the South are a sensitive subject.

Several major anti-US demonstrations have been held in the country to protest the presence of American troops in South Korea.